Food entrepreneur Abhishek Kamath noticed a cool new trend at his cloud kitchen Kreemery, situated in upmarket Jayanagar, Bengaluru. On weekends, it began to receive 25 per cent more orders for artisanal ice-creams. “Sundays are cheat days and ordering in food is the norm. But the spike in artisanal ice-creams is a surprise. A gym instructor friend tells me that fitness enthusiasts don’t want to derail their workout results with dessert on weekends. Handmade ice creams made with fresh, local ingredients and no preservatives are healthier alternatives,” Kamath says. Meanwhile, Creme De La Creme, an artisanal ice-cream place in Mont Kiara of Kuala Lumpur, transformed its space into a Minions-themed cafe this July. As Instagram reels of Me Want Banana, a banana and cherry-flavoured petit gateau food sculpted to impersonate a real banana went viral, the newfound popularity of cold comfort is rocking the city.
Artisanal ice cream has reached the voting age in India, with chefs both small and big cheering it on. Customers in Mumbai aren’t complaining about Bina Doshi’s handmade ice-creams she began serving in 2012 or Goa’s Hice Cream, which sells organic ice cream. Minus 30 in Delhi home delivers the cool stuff. Artincin in Bengaluru is artisanal ice cream with a cause. Entrepreneur Aarti Rastogi is 80 per cent hearing challenged and employs disabled and transgender workers at her ice cream outlet.
The Godrej Foods Trends Report 2022 Collector’s edition based on the contributions of over 200 chefs and food experts notes that close to half (48.3 per cent) of the culinarians foresee artisanal ice cream as the preferred choice for dessert for the next decade. Artisanal ice cream are delicate darlings; handmade and curated in small batches, they have a shelf-life of about 12 hours. The vegan versions are made with organic ingredients, are probiotic-rich, diabetic-friendly and sugarless. “So many great gourmet ice-cream brands have arrived. With interesting new flavour combinations and a product quality leagues ahead of commercial ice cream, artisanal ice cream is here to stay,” says Anahita Dhondy, former chef-partner at
SodaBottleOpenerwala is a Parsi chain of restaurants across India. The cool customers agree.